Scripture Passage: 1 Corinthians 9:22-27

Pastor Ryan asked us to consider what the Apostle Paul wrote about what it means to finish well.

1. Finishing well requires spiritual discipline.

There is a distinction between spiritual discipline and self-discipline. Spiritual discipline looks like surrendering to the Lord and allowing Him to transform our actions and habits. We are no longer under the law of rules, but instead under the law of Christ.

Within spiritual discipline, we need both:
• Accountability | a community of people who really know you and who you are able to be transparent with in life. Proverbs 28:13
• Strategy | having a plan for when temptation comes because it will come. 1 Corinthians 10:13

2. Finishing well requires an understanding of the price of disqualification.

According to verse 27, Paul disciplined himself so that he won’t be disqualified. The word “disqualified” in the Greek means “disapproved.” When we understand the price of being disqualified, we should want to continue to press on and impact the world for the Gospel.

3. Finishing well requires keeping your mission before you.

When you have a strong sense of your mission that is Spirit-led and Spirit-driven, you stay engaged. Paul had a mission and he ran towards it. When our mission is focused on the Gospel and good, we are better able to finish well.

Discussion:

• What are ways that you are disciplining yourself through accountability and strategy?

• What are ways you try to fight your battles on your own in the flesh and what does it look like to surrender those battles, thoughts, habits, and actions to the Lord?

• What is your mission and how do you keep it before you?

• What does it mean for you personally to finish well?

Pray for you and your family to be a people who finish well in full surrender to the Lord for the glory of God.